| Millions of tonnes of Metal are recycled each year in | | | | tonnes was exported representing an increase of |
| the UK alone, generating billions of pounds in revenue. | | | | 20% on 2004 figures. |
| Just over half of the recycled metal is exported to | | | | Recycling metal at home |
| meet foreign demand and the rest is reprocessed | | | | The most common household waste metal items |
| within the UK to make more metal. Metal is an | | | | generated are food and drinks cans. Recycling these |
| extremely useful and versatile material that is used to | | | | cans is quite a simple process. After the cans are |
| make many items in every day use including cars, | | | | collected they are separated into Steel and Aluminum |
| trucks, ships, aeroplanes, household appliances, | | | | cans. Steel cans are melted down and the impurities |
| railway tracks, cutlery, ovens and of course it is also | | | | (slag) are removed and will often be recycled back |
| used for packaging. | | | | into the construction industry. The remaining pure |
| One major advantage in recycling metal is that it can | | | | metal is made into ingots or blocks of steel, which |
| be recycled over and over again without losing any | | | | can then be used to make more cans and other |
| of the properties of the metal itself. Metal is | | | | products. |
| therefore a valuable commodity and as such, when a | | | | Aluminum cans are compressed and melted down, |
| metal item reaches the end of its life, it can be used | | | | impurities are removed and again, the Aluminum is |
| 100% of the time to make new metal. The most | | | | made into ingots which can then be rolled into |
| common metals in every day household use today | | | | Aluminum sheets before being turned into new cans |
| are Steel and Aluminum - Steel is used to make food | | | | or other products. This whole process is quite rapid |
| cans and Aluminum is used to make soft drink cans. | | | | and an Aluminum can is often back on a supermarket |
| You can tell the difference between Steel and | | | | shelf in as little as 6 weeks. |
| Aluminum using a magnet because Steel will stick to a | | | | Most local authorities now provide a means to |
| magnetic whereas Aluminum will not. This makes the | | | | dispose of empty cans either by roadside collection |
| sorting of various types of metal at recycling depots | | | | or at a recycling depot so make use of these |
| a lot easier as opposed to say plastic recycling where | | | | facilities and encourage others to do the same as in |
| sorting is a much more complex practice. When | | | | this way you can help protect the environment and |
| recycling metal, it is divided into Ferrous and | | | | save energy. |
| non-Ferrous metals. | | | | Why it is important to recycle metal |
| Recycling Ferrous Metal | | | | Obviously it makes more sense to make use of |
| Ferrous scrap metal is metal from Steel and Iron so | | | | available resources, particularly when it is easy to do |
| this includes food cans, scrap metal from cars and | | | | so, rather than to continually deplete the earth's |
| household appliances etc. According to the British | | | | natural resources. The main environmental benefits |
| Metal Recycling Association (BMRA), over four and | | | | involved in recycling metal are as follows:o It takes a |
| half million tonnes of Iron and Steel scrap metal was | | | | lot less energy to melt down waste metal and |
| supplied to Steelworks in the UK in 2005 to make | | | | recycle it than it does to produce new metalo Using |
| new Steel and over 6 million tones were exported. | | | | recycled metal reduces CO2 emissions and air |
| Ferrous scrap metal is in demand and growth has | | | | pollutiono Less water is used and less water is |
| increased by approximately 5% each year for the | | | | pollutedo Reduces the need to mine the raw |
| past decade. | | | | materials required to make the metal such as Iron |
| Recycling Non Ferrous Metal | | | | ore for Steel, Nickel for Stainless Steel and Alumina |
| Nonferrous scrap metal is waste from metals such as | | | | and Bauxite for Aluminum.o Reduces the amount of |
| Aluminum, (so includes drinks cans, foil milk bottle | | | | metal going to landfill as despite a growing awareness |
| tops, foil wrappers, baking trays, kitchen foil etc.) and | | | | of the value in recycling metal, a lot of household |
| also Copper, and other metals such as Nickel, Brass, | | | | metal waste from cans is still ending up in landfill sites |
| Titanium, Lead and Chromium etc. Less non ferrous | | | | Recycling metal is big business and although |
| metal waste is available but it is more profitable than | | | | household waste makes up a small percentage of the |
| Ferrous Metal. According to BMRA, in 2005, over a | | | | total amount of metal recycled, it still makes an |
| million tonnes of non ferrous metal was processed | | | | important contribution so it is important to recycle |
| and nearly half of this was Aluminum followed by | | | | those cans as any metal ending up in landfill is simply |
| Copper and then the other metals. Over 800,000 | | | | a waste of valuable resources. |